Crispi Wyoming Boot Review
By Les Welch, Rokslide Staff
The balls of my feet were beginning to get warm. I was four miles in but still had 22 to go. I altered my gait, but it was only a matter of time—it was going to be a long day. By sunset, I had already used almost a full roll of tape; however, nothing but stopping would help at this point. I trudged on trying to enjoy the surroundings even though every step shot fire through my feet. The crowds grew, the noise intensified, the lights got brighter, and the adrenaline softened the pain. I crossed the finish line and Ironman #4 was in the books. My feet were torched and it was three weeks until elk season opened. The importance of comfortable, fitting, functional footwear never stood out as more important.
Thankfully I had time to heal up before season, and I have never had blistering issues while in the mountains. For the last number of years I have been using Lowa Tibets. Those boots were really good for support and they fit my feet very well. Even with hundreds of miles in them in varying terrain, I never had a hot spot. The downside is after three-four days, my feet would get sore. The Tibet is a very stiff-soled boot, great for supporting heavy packs, but for daily hunting they are too stiff for me. Anytime it was wet out, I would wear gaiters and I always kept my boots cared for. Still, after the second or third season I would eventually get wet feet. I vowed after the 2015 season to look for new boots.
Early September of 2016 I had a pair of Lowa Renegade’s delivered. I had read that these were pretty wearable right out of the box without much break-in. The truck was ready and the Kifaru was loaded. The decision was made to unbox them, and lace them up once I arrived at the Colorado trailhead.
Once in the Centennial state, we packed in six miles. I was happily surprised with just one very light “warm” spot and no blisters. These were pretty comfy. I spent most of the next two weeks in them. For the most part these are pretty great boots. A couple of times in some steep terrain I thought they could have used a little more support—nothing major but it could have been more serious. Packing heavy loads in or out and they were a little too soft. Again nothing major, just pointing out the subtle things that I noticed. As day hiking boots these things are the bomb.
While enroute to the above mentioned trip in Colorado, Kendall Card over at Camofire, put up Hanwag Yellowstone II GTX’s for a pretty great price. I ordered a set and had them shipped to my buddy’s house in Colorado. After we tagged out and packed down from the Colorado hunt I was able to pick them up. From there I headed to Wyoming where I wore them for a day hunt, and I’ve put a few miles on them since returning. They are stiffer than the Renegade’s and definitely need a little break-in. They have more support but aren’t as comfortable as the Lowa’s. I don’t have a lot of miles so my feedback definitely isn’t complete.
I had been hearing some great things about the Crispi line for a couple of years. After listening to the Gritty Bowmen podcast where Brian and Aron broke down the line I decided I needed to give Crispi U.S a call. After discussing my needs and hunting style for awhile we settled on the Crispi Wyoming Boot.
In a few days they showed up. I had also heard that the Crispi line was pretty comfy right out of the box. I threw the boots and pack in the truck and headed to the gym. I was going to put these through the ringer right off the bat. I dropped a 35# dumbbell in my pack and set it at the stairmill. As I sat to lace my boots I had an “oh crap” moment. I forgot my smartwool socks. All I had were my cotton work socks, so I just laced up the Wyomings, and hit it.
After reaching the one hour mark I was at around 215 flights of stairs. A large pool of sweat lie below me on the floor. The boots felt great! My feet were soaked, but they weren’t sore. Even in the soaked cotton socks, I wasn’t blistering anywhere. For a first use, I was very happy. Right off the bat I knew they were more supportive and a fair amount stiffer than the Renegades, but not too stiff or uncomfortable. Thursday nights would become my backpack cardio night and weekly I have been hitting an hour all out on the stairmill with weighted pack and boots on. I’m averaging around 235 flights per hour.
I got out and did about 10 hours of shed hunting with snow on the ground, and shot a few 3D shoots before spring turkey opened. With a solid six weeks in the Crispi Wyomings now, I’m very happy to say the least. I have no question that this is going to be my go-to elk boot come September.
The Wyoming is a non-insulated boot standing 7″ from the ground to the top of the back of the boot, and 8.5″ total height. With standard insoles it weighs in at 3lbs, 10.2 ounces.
This boot sports a lot of newer, industry leading features. The things that I like are the Gore-Tex liner, Vibram midsole, suede upper with high resistant fabric, and the stitched rubber surrounding rand with heel protection. I’m super excited to run a hunting boot that isn’t all leather this year. The leather boot performance I’ve had lately is frustrating to say the least. I think I finally have something that will be better. The snow and spring usage to this point has definitely pointed in the right direction.
The sizing on this boot has been spot on. I ordered a size 11 and I normally wear a 10.5 shoe. I assumed with a light smartwool sock these would fit like the Lowa’s. I wish I would have ordered the the 10.5 instead.
If you want to geek out on all the technical info about Crispi boots go here. They have a great page that explains all the technical features and the ins-and-outs of everything on the boot.
To this point, the only negative that I have observed is the quick lace hook at the ankle bone. Ninety-five percent of the time my laces would come off these hooks when I got up to the next hook. I remedied this by using a flat screwdriver and opening up the hook about another 10°. This has fixed that minor issue for the most part. I also own many different styles and brands of insoles; I have swapped out the stock sole with something just a bit more comfortable.
I’m pretty excited to really put them to the test come September! I’ll be posting more on these boots (and other gear) on my New Year New Season thread here, if you’d like to know more about their ongoing performance.
For whatever reason the Crispi Wyoming Boot doesn’t get a lot of love compared to the rest of the Crispi line but I am here to tell you it’s the real deal. If you are looking for an uninsulated mid-height boot, give the official Crispi U.S. dealer Black Ovis a click or a call. Not only are they a top notch sales and customer service team, they are real world hunters. They have experience with their stuff and can definitely steer you in the right direction.
You can ask Les questions or discuss this article here
